


Konstantin's Rocky Road

by dancefantasy



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Dark Crack, F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Obsessive Behavior, Religious Guilt, Unrequited Love, Violence, another example of me taking an inside joke too far
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:26:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancefantasy/pseuds/dancefantasy
Summary: There was something about Lara that called to Konstantin. Was it sympathy for the poor woman, trying so hard for something she would never achieve? Or more of a curiosity to see the side of her that existed outside of their tense confrontations? What if he could be vulnerable to her strength without risking the loss of everything he had ever known?
Relationships: Lara Croft/Konstantin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Konstantin's Rocky Road

**Author's Note:**

> This is somehow the weirdest crackfic I've ever written, and I've written stories involving chicken marriage and random samba-dancing. So, read with caution.

Konstantin was a man destined by God for greatness; he knew it plainly by the stigmata on his hands. That was why he was so dedicated to carrying out Trinity's work -- it was his appointed purpose. And so, for his God, he dedicated all his time to carrying out the order's plans, because he believed he was chosen for such things. It was not just to follow his family's footsteps or help his sister. No, it would be a grave sin to do anything else. That's why he was in Siberia searching for the Divine Source and doing whatever it took to stop anyone else from getting there first. And that's why he needed to kill Croft.

At first, it was easy. Not easy to accomplish, as Lara Croft repeatedly proved herself to be difficult to dispose of, but easy to fathom. She was an enemy of Trinity, therefore an enemy of Konstantin's, and therefore an enemy of God. Driving a knife into her neck sounded as normal as driving a knife into his dinner. It wasn't just expected; it would surely feel like muscle memory. And as Lara kept failing his attempts at murder, the idea managed to become even easier out of a more personal vendetta.

However, Konstantin found his mind drifting from those easy thoughts from time to time. And that made the concept of killing Lara surprisingly more difficult. It was because his feelings towards her had morphed into something dangerous.

There was something about Lara that called to Konstantin. He wondered if it was the same way that his sister had grown soft to her own enemies before. Was it sympathy for the poor woman, trying so hard for something she would never achieve? Or more of a curiosity to see the side of her that existed outside of their tense confrontations? What if he could be vulnerable to her strength without risking the loss of everything he had ever known?

The concept of that vulnerable closeness was like heaven, but the reality of the idea was hell. Because of all the people he could have possibly grown such feelings for, why did it have to be Lara Croft? It was his destiny to kill her; he felt it. And surely she despised him just as strongly as he strongly felt that destiny calling to him. But regardless, he longed for a taste of her company. 

He knew he shouldn't. His sole dedication was to God. To love or even briefly focus on anything else was blasphemous. Thus, Konstantin hated himself every time he had these desires to not be Lara's opponent. He punished himself for it so that perhaps God wouldn't have to, digging his fingertips into the holes in his hands until they bled. The stinging pain brought him back to reality, and the staining blood reminded him of where his heart's allegiance belonged.

Croft was the enemy. He knew that. Additionally, she was like a silent devil on his shoulder tempting him to change his fated course through her mere existence. So why did he still find himself longing for her no matter how much she hurt his cause, no matter how much he hurt himself like a sacrifice to God, no matter how long he prayed that he could be a more loyal servant of His will?

As powerful as the obtrusive thoughts of Croft were over Konstantin, it was forgettable for the most part. He didn't frequently cross paths with her. And if he did, one of them would have killed the other by now. Indeed, he did believe he would kill her if he had the chance; his liking for her hadn't become extreme to the point of mercy yet. But the image of killing her was no longer just slitting her throat and leaving her to die on the cold hard ground in the shame of defying fate. Now he'd prefer to choke her with his own hands at a slower pace, watch the life gradually fade from her eyes as he whispered that he hoped God would forgive her for what she had done. Konstantin would forgive her for ignorance, and maybe she would forgive him too in those moments for hurting what she had loved.

However, Konstantin was a busy man. The time for fantasies of killing his nemesis, his oddly alluring nemesis, was rare. The thoughts that made it difficult to imagine killing her as mercilessly as he should were pushed aside to make room for more important details. Still, every single one of those thoughts, no matter how small, no matter how rare, wore Konstantin down more and more. Eventually, letting his own blood didn't work to cleanse his thoughts. And deep down, he knew it would lead to his demise.

Konstantin hadn't even been looking for Lara the day that it all happened. He was near the sawmill, ensuring the Trinity soldiers stationed there were following their orders. Afterwards, he found himself taking a stroll through the frozen woods instead of heading back to their base right away. He must have wandered far from Trinity's normal reach, because he overheard Lara speaking to someone in the distance. Trying to be dutiful, he listened in to see if she would reveal any helpful information about the Divine Source.

She didn't. One of the villagers was merely asking her if she missed her home after being away for so long. And Lara answered with longing, "This place is gorgeous, but I do miss home. Those long nights chatting with friends, reading in libraries, rocky road ice cream on hot days..."

Konstantin felt his heart swell as he listened to the fierce warrior pine for softer memories. She was a normal person behind her almost inhuman tenacity and capability. More normal than Konstantin had ever been able to be. He realized that he wanted to be a part of something normal. And he also wondered what it would feel like to make Lara smile. With that in mind, a plan quickly brewed.

He didn't have the clearance to leave, but it wouldn't take long. If Konstantin and a helicopter were missing for an hour, it wouldn't cause any harm. He was willing to take that risk anyway, suddenly desperate to indulge his slight obsession after being near Lara once more.

He traveled to the closest city around and burst into an ice cream shop. "A pint of rocky road," he demanded, watching carefully as the ice cream man prepared the dish. He squinted in disproval. "Do you really think those are enough toppings?"

"I'm the one who works here; I think I know what I'm doing--"

Konstantin reached across the counter and grabbed the man by his collar. "Add more toppings or I'll kill you!" He needed the best ice cream he could possibly get if he was momentarily throwing away his life's purpose for it. For her.

Needless to say, the ice cream man obliged Konstantin's wishes. Once the soldier got back, he returned to the area he had overheard Lara speaking before, hoping to find her. The cold snow helped keep the ice cream from melting as he sneaked through the foliage, hunting her down. And he found her relatively quickly, a surprise after how evasive she had always managed to be.

But she was too close to other people when he found her. It wasn't safe for Konstantin to be seen yet, so he continued following her from a distance, like a mountain lion silently stalking prey. He surely could have killed her at any moment, if only he wanted to. But he liked to think he could win her over to their side. Even though Ana had failed to do so, Konstantin thought Lara might be more open to compromise under more open circumstances. Especially with the present of something she enjoyed.

Once Lara had reached a sufficiently secluded area, Konstantin made his entrance from the shadows. She was obviously terrified and brandished her knife in self-defense, ordering him, "Stay away!"

Konstantin noticed the way she glanced around as if expecting more Trinity soldiers to ambush her. He tried to ease her mind, showing that he had no weapons in his hands and saying, "Relax. I'm here alone. I only wanted to bring you a gift."

"Yeah, right," Lara sarcastically barked back. "What is it, a bullet with my name on it?"

Konstantin shook his head, slowly reaching to grab the small container secured at his side. "It's ice cream," he said, holding it out towards her.

"Lovely. I'm sure it's poisoned," she spat, holding her knife even tighter. The absurdity of the situation was overshadowed by the terror of having been ambushed by her most powerful enemy.

Konstantin almost looked offended at her accusation. "No! I heard you say you wanted ice cream, so I went and got some for you--"

"What the hell?! Why is that more disturbing than all of the other horrifying things I've seen you do?"

"But... I thought you would like it," Konstantin replied, stepping closer.

Even one step was one step too far. Lara grabbed the ice cream and threw it at Konstantin's head, the cold, heavy dessert nearly knocking him over. While he was distracted by that, she quickly pulled her pistol from its holster and shot him. Lara had wanted to aim for his head, but in her frenzy of fear and anger, the bullet ended up in his neck instead.

The less immediate death gave Konstantin more time to look at her as he fell to his knees. As the blood bubbled around his wound and prevented him from speaking, all he could do was look as his life ended. And Lara looked back with such malice. The fire in her eyes burned him with more shame than the way he had repeatedly made the wounds in his hands burn in pain. But it was surely too late for God's forgiveness now. He had strayed too far and paid the price.

This was never supposed to happen. Not in any sense. Konstantin had let go of everything certain in his life for a chance at something different. And that something had not only refused to grant him that chance, but had left him dead.

Konstantin had always hated rocky road ice cream.


End file.
